The Illness
by Sukidayo17
Summary: Rowen learned some bad news and it causes some harsh emotion. Will he risk his life to be next to his love? Read and find out… Some language
1. Chapter 1

THE ILLNESS 

**A/N: **I was idly flipping through and encyclopedia when I was looking for something I hid in the pages when I found a description of a disease. I got to thinking and this is what came up. Since I follow the time line for The Torrent Settles, this is completely separated from it since Jay Lee is a part of the sequel.

**Summary**: Centered around Rowen and Jay Lee. Some bad news is learned and it causes some harsh emotion. Will Rowen risk his life to be next to his love? Read and find out…

**Usual disclaimers: **Ronins not mine. Still wish Cye and Sage were though. Jay Lee is an original character thought up by yours truly. Ask before taking please. Enjoy the story.

Rowen sat in the back of his Astronomy class. He couldn't think about anything the sensei was saying. He was worried. He needed to know what was going on, and he needed to know **now**.

He raised his hand and looked hopefully at the mid-aged man that was his Astronomy teacher.

"What is it Hashiba-san?"

"May I be excused to the rest room?"

The sensei glared at the azure haired boy and huffed like he usually did when annoyed. He nodded his head to the door and returned to his lecture on the different nebulas in their galaxy, or something of the sort. Rowen lifted himself from his seat and hurriedly made his way out of the room. Once outside, he made a mad dash to the rest room.

Once inside, he checked the stalls for any signs of school faculty just to be safe before pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number. Placing it to his ear, he moved around the room to find a strong spot. After about five rings, the answering machine picked up.

"You reached the Yun residence," the answering machine said. "Press one for Seung Yun, two for Cho Yun, three for Dong Yun, and four for Jay Lee Yun. You can also leave a message for the whole family after the beep. _BEEP!_"

"Hello Yun family," Rowen said. "This is Rowen Hashiba. I was just calling to find out what was going on with Jay Lee. I haven't seen nor heard from her in a week and I was getting worried. I'll try again later…"

There was a click on the other end of the phone and Rowen heard weeping in the background when Jay Lee's little brother, Dong, spoke softly into the phone.

"Hey Rowen," he whispered.

"Hey, what's going on?" There was a slight silence when he heard a door click and there was nothing but Dong's breathing.

"I'm sorry we never contacted you," Dong said. "I'm sure you could hear my mother crying."

"Dong, what is going on?" Rowen was getting more worried now, and dreaded any bad news that could concern Jay Lee. But that's what he got.

"Jay Lee's in the hospital," Dong said. "We just got back after seeing her."

"What happened?" Rowen asked. He was going hysterical now. _Why is Jay Lee in the hospital?_

"Rowen, she's really sick. It started as a fever, then headaches and then a mass of body aches and pains. It's been going on for a week. When she passed out last night, we had to rush her to the ER."

Rowen listened with fear building in his mind as Dong's words slurred into those of sobs. This went on for a few minutes until the boy was able to speak sense again.

"Rowen, I'm scared. We went to see her earlier. The doctors have her under quarantine. We can't go inside the room without gloves, masks, hairnets or dresses. We had to leave because she went unstable. We were watching when one of the nurses came to give her an injection of something…"

The boy was crying again and sobbing but continued.

"It was horrible, Rowen! I never saw so much blood. As soon as the nurse pricked her, it was like her skin ripped itself into a three-inch gash. Blood oozed everywhere, and the maniac beeping of the heart monitor deafened me. I was so scared."

Dong weeped some more and Rowen heard a thud. He figured that the boy must have dropped to the floor. In the background he could hear the squeaking of metal on metal and thought Dong had to be in his room and his pet rat was running on his wheel.

"What happened to her?" Rowen asked softly.

"I don't know!" he cried into the phone. "I heard what the doctor said, but I can't remember! Rowen, I'm scared. I don't know what to do!"

"I'm coming over," Rowen said without thinking. "I'm gonna get out of here and I'll meet ya at your place."

The line went dead then and nodded his head as he closed his flip phone and placed it back in his pocket. He hurried out of the bathroom and made his way back to the class. He rushed through the door and quickly grabbed his things.

"Hashiba-san, what is going on?" the sensei asked, more annoyed than ever. "You've been in there for twenty minutes and you come barreling back into my room. Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry, sensei. I was stopped in the hall and asked to come to the office. There's an emergency and I have to see to it."

"You are not leaving my class unless it's life and death."

Rowen shuddered. He was lying to his teacher, but there was something else he needed to do. That and his sensei didn't know the truth of his words.

"It is," was all he could say. He prayed to God that it really wasn't. The sensei looked at his grave face and softened instantly. He shook his head in slow motion almost and Rowen made his leave. He raced down the empty hallway and passed Ryo and Sage who were transporting a large clay model of a volcano.

"Hey, Ro!" Ryo said. "Where you headed in a rush?"

"Emergency, tell ya later!" he yelled back as he turned a corner. Wildfire and Halo looked at each other perplexed and slightly worried about their friend.

Rowen hastily went through the sign out procedure in the office before bolting to his car. Well, it was actually Ryo's jeep but he would be back to pick them up at three when school was out. It was a good thing he had a copy of the car key or he'd be screwed. Starting the Jeep, he pulled out of the student parking and drove as fast as he could without breaking the law.

He pulled up in front of the Yun Family's house and turned off the jeep before jumping out and running up the driveway.

"Rowen!" The thirteen-year-old ran out of the front door and collided into Rowen, throwing his arms around the taller, older boy. Rowen grasped the boy and held him as he cried harder than he had ever seen.

"Easy kiddo," Rowen soothed. "Breathe."

As Dong tried to take deep breaths, Rowen picked up the boy. Sure, he was thirteen, but he was a wreck. He carried the boy up the house and kicked the door lightly. Jay Lee's father, Seung Yun, opened it. Rowen noticed his eyes were red and puffy, meaning he had been crying as well. He heard full blast sobbing from Mrs. Yun as he stepped into the house. Mr. Yun led Rowen into the kitchen where Jay Lee's uncle, Chin Yun, was trying desperately to soothe his sister in law, but to no avail.

"Why don't you have a seat, Rowen." He nodded and sat down across from Mrs. Yun and placed the boy on his lap who had stopped crying and only stared off into nothingness. Mr. Yun sat down next to his wife and held her hand in his.

Rowen took this slight moment to look at everyone. Mrs. Yun, upon first meeting her, was a happy boisterous woman. She was chubby, but not large. Her face was beautiful even if she was in her late thirties. Now, she was a mess. Her face was pink and puffy, as were her eyes. The whites were red, giving her dark eyes the appearance of a demon. Her hair was normally long and straight, but were frizzed to enormous heights. She looked sick to put it simply.

Mr. Yun was no better. He was an equally chubby man in his early forties. His hair was short, but was messed like someone rubbed a balloon over his head for a good two hours. He was paler than usual, like he turned into a ghost. It was strange for Rowen to see him the way he was, since he was always so serious and proper mannered.

As for Dong, he was much lighter than he used to be. Rowen thought he had stopped eating by the way he looked. But that was the way he coped with things. He would turn anemic when something critical and life changing would happen. But he would get better. At least, Rowen hoped so.

"Rowen," Mr. Yun said. "We want to apologize for not contacting you sooner. We kept you in the dark for a week and we're really sorry. Dong told us you called earlier and that you were coming over. Did he tell you what happened in the hospital?"

"Yes," Rowen choked out.

"Then you know the doctors put her under quarantine?"

"Yes." Rowen felt the boy shudder and he held onto him tighter. "But Dong didn't know what happened to her. I need to know Mr. Yun."

Mrs. Yun broke out in sobs again and laid her head down on the table, her arms covering her face. Chin gently rubbed her back in comfort. Mr. Yun looked at Rowen with sad, tired eyes. He took a few deep breaths before he said everything.

"We thought she had the flu," he explained. "It started with a fever, turned into a headache, then aches and pains. But that was just the first two days. Then she started coughing a lot and claimed she had trouble breathing with chest pain. We were going to have her stay home yesterday from work but she insisted that she was fine to work that day.

"When she passed out, we knew something bad was happening to our daughter. We rushed her to the ER and waited for the doctors to tell us what was happening. Of course, they sugar coated the truth from us that first time saying she only got dizzy and fainted. Then they did the blood test…"

Rowen waited for the rest, but it never came. Mr. Yun started crying as he held onto his wife's hand in vain attempts to keep them down. It wasn't working. Chin even began to cry silently and Dong was trembling profoundly in Rowen's arms. He needed to know what was wrong with his girlfriend, but he didn't want to know at the same time if it had this effect on her family. Rowen was beyond worried now, he was dead-ass scared.

"Please sir," he said. "I need to know." _ No, I don't. You baka, why do you feel like it's gonna kill ya?_

"She has Ebola Fever!" Mrs. Yun screamed. Rowen's blood froze in his veins. _Oh Gods. _"My baby has Ebola Fever! There's no vaccine! She's going to die! My baby's going to **die**!"

Ebola Fever. According to the attire they had to wear according to Dong, it would make sense. Ebola was air borne and extremely contagious. Keeping her in quarantine will safe guard others and stop an outbreak. Then the thought of what they did last unnerved him.

_Funny that we would spend an evening watching _Outbreak _and this should happen._

Before he thought about it, he was standing outside of the glass window in the hospital that separated him and his love. He had his head against the glass and both palms up against the window, begging to hold her.

She was a mess. The area around her eyes were a mixture of light blue and ugly purple, like she had two black eyes. From where he could see, her ears were crusted with her blood. Both of her arms were wrapped in bandages that were once white, but now a dark shade of crimson. Her skin was pale, having almost no pigment whatsoever. She looked dead, and he thought she was if not for the medical machines connected to her body, measuring her vitals.

Rowen was ready to be sick. Looking at her like this made the bile rise in his throat, but he choked it down. His love was in pain, and there was nothing he could do to comfort her. He wanted so badly to hold her to his chest and stroke her black hair till she was better. He wanted to hold her on his lap like they would when they watched a home movie. He wanted to kiss her soft lips and breath the life back into her.

We rarely get what we want. He knew the danger of her condition. Deep down, he knew she wouldn't make it. There was no cure for Ebola, no vaccine exists. Something that has the scientists confused beyond comprehensible reasoning. He needed to be by her. That was it.

He walked up to a nurse in a yellow rubber air suit. She stopped before she placed the helmet over her head and looked at him.

"I want to be by her," he said. "I'm her boyfriend and I have direct permission form her family to do so."

The nurse nodded and guided him to the nurses lounge where she helped him into a similar rubber suit that was a light blue with white stripes. She helped him with the helmet and placed her over her head. Rowen then followed her into the hallway and into the small room.

The nurse pulled up a chair next to the bed and had Rowen sit in it.

"Do not take your helmet off under any circumstance," she said. "You may hold her hand but gently. Ebola causes her skin to become paper-thin and the slightest friction will tear it apart. She is conscious and can talk, but briefly. When you are finished, push the yellow button on the door and someone will come and let you out."

Rowen nodded and the nurse left him alone with his sick lover. He raised his hand to hers and placed it gently on hers as the nurse said. It did nothing for him. He wanted to feel her skin. Jay Lee opened her eyes briefly and looked at him.

Rowen allowed his tears to fall. Looking into her eyes, seeing the damage the Ebola did to her broke his heart. She was crying too. Her disease making her tears into blood as they fell down her cheeks. She breathed in a gasp of pain, and Rowen knew that crying hurt her.

"I'm here," he assured her. "I'll neva' leave ya 'lone."

A/N: Okay, it's like close to one in the morning and I have to get to bed. Don't worry, I'll continue if you all want to know what happens. Meanwhile, click the purply-blue button and tell me what you think of it so far. I really, REALLY need to know. If anyone also has any suggestions on how I should continue, I would love to hear them. I'm sort of stuck after "I'll neva' leave ya 'lone" scene. Nighty-night people!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The document Manager has been fixed! It's high time I updated this story.

* * *

THE ILLNESS II

Rowen stayed until she fell asleep. He didn't know how long he was there, but he never moved, holding like stone to his promise. He was ready to move into the hospital room just to stay near her. The suit made it worse. He wanted to touch her skin without a barrier.

The damned to hell suit. It was suffocating him. His face was turning pink and was drenched with his sweat. It was turning into a greenhouse. He needed to take a rest, but he didn't want to leave. When the door opened and Jay Lee's parents came in, he was forced into taking a rest. He was sanitized and guided outside where it had long since turned dark. While he was there, he forgot about Ryo's jeep and knew he would be in major trouble when he got back to the manor.

He drove slowly, taking his precious time as he thought about what the others would say when he walked through the door. Ryo, above all, would be pissed beyond humanity that Rowen "borrowed" their only means of transportation back home. Yeah, he was going to die tonight.

He pulled up into the driveway of the manor and turned off the ignition. He slowly made his way up the walkway to the front door and wasn't the least bit surprised that Ryo threw open the front door and began to harass him.

"What the hell, Rowen!" he said. "You go running down the hall and you steal my jeep? **_MY _**jeep! Do you have any idea how long it took us to get home? And hour and a half! Are you even listening to me?"

_No, _Rowen thought. _I'm not. _Rowen continued to tune Ryo out as he made his way through the living room where Kento was playing another video game. Sage was sitting in the recliner doing his homework and Cye came in from the kitchen were he was washing the dishes from that night's dinner.

Ryo's verbal assault was getting louder, and Rowen was drowning in his hellish mud pit more and more. Being attacked like this was driving him nuts and there was only one way he thought would help solve it. He turned in the blink of an eye, his closed fist colliding with Ryo's jaw. The force of the impact sent Ryo flying to his side, colliding in turn with Kento as he sailed across the couch.

Cye squeaked with disbelief and dropped the plate he was drying as Sage rushed over to check on the two boys. Ryo was bent over, both of his hands over his mouth as he allowed the massive amount of blood pour onto the floor. Sage did what he could to stop the bleeding, healing Ryo with his powers. He lost a good pint of blood if not more.

Kento was fine, only lightly hitting his head against the carpeted floor. There was nothing serious, except the fact that Ryo was desperately fighting against his grip to get back at the taller blue hair boy. Rowen just stood there, morose and with a distant gaze. Everyone was silent for a few minutes. Nothing but the sound of breathing, then a small whimper before Rowen broke down in front of them all.

He was down on his knees, hands covering his face as he cried out incoherent words. Cye knelt down beside him and wrapped his arms around the trembling boy, he head on his shoulder whispering soothing words of comfort. Ryo forgot everything up until now. He never saw Rowen explode like that. None of them have.

Ryo crawled across the floor and sat himself Indian style in front of Rowen. He looked at the boy with pure concern in his eyes, wondering what had happened to make his friend act so strangely. Ryo moved his mouth, but words could not form. Try as he might, his vocal cords refused to work. Ryo was grateful when Sage asked the question they all wanted answered.

"What happened before you ran out of school?" he asked, also sitting Indian style next to Ryo. All four of them were huddled around Rowen as he continued his crying. Cye had retrieved a box of tissues for his use. Within minutes, half of the box was used and strewn on the floor around him. They all waited patiently for Rowen to calm. Once he did, Sage asked it again.

"What happened before you ran out of school?"

Rowen didn't want to answer that. He just wanted to go back to the hospital, back into the room with Jay Lee. He didn't know how to answer them.

Kento turned off his game and took it out of the game box. The news channel came on and, by some twist the Gods did, the news crew answered Sage's question for him. Rowen pointed towards the TV and broke down into silent tears again as the other four received their answer.

There was a newswoman standing outside of Toyama's General Hospital. It was dark out so they thought that it had to be taping now, live.

"History was made tonight when a case of Ebola Fever made its way into Toyama General. The victim of this unfortunate disease is the seventeen-year-old Jay Lee Yun, formerly of Korea. She moved here to Japan with her mother, father and her little brother due to an advancement in her Father's job. According to what the family of the girl said, the doctors told them she is over the hill with the disease and will either survive or succumb to its deadly hands."

"That… an-answer y-your q-q-ques-tion?"

Kento turned off the annoying contraption and rejoined the huddle on the floor. Cye held on tighter to the crying boy, tears in his eyes as well. Everyone was upset now. Ryo most of all was hit the hardest since he was the one to bombard Rowen when he got home.

"Rowen," he said. "I… I just… I'm sorry. I… I didn't know… about Jay Lee… and why you run off… could you… even forgive me?"

"It's not ya fault," Rowen said, regaining some control. "Ya didn't know cause I neva said anythin ta any of ya. I just… ran off without tellin ya a thing. I'm ta blame. She's gonna die…"

"No, she's not," Cye said, choking back his grief. "You heard the news reporter. She's over the worst. She has to make a choice now. Only she can be the judge of whether she lives or dies."

"He's right," Sage said. "If her will is strong enough, she'll pull through. But it's going to be hard. She's going to need help and you're the one to give it to her."

Rowen lifted his head to look at the blond. He blinked a few times and nodded his head. Getting up with Cye's help, Ryo took the keys from Rowen and escorted him to his jeep. Rowen got in on the passenger side and Ryo got behind the wheel. He started the ignition and they drove back to the hospital.

Ryo left Rowen at the hospital. Rowen got permission from the staff and Jay Lee's parents saying that he could stay the duration of her quarantine. One again, he sat in the chair next to Jay Lee, the rubber suit once again proving a barrier for Rowen to feel her skin.

Her condition was roller coastering. She was strong enough now that she could form coherent sentences, but she would crash every three hours. Rowen shed a million tears already, and her own family did tenfold. He stayed by her side the whole time.

It was now four in the morning. The place was quiet except for the machines that were hooked to Jay Lee. She was stable once again and she clutched the large rubber glove that was Rowen's hand.

"I'm tired," she said.

"Then go ta sleep. It's the logical thing ta do."

"I'm afraid I won't wake up."

"Don't be foolish," Rowen said. "Of course ya will. Ya always wake up." Jay Lee was silent. She turned her head away from him and by the way the machine read by her heart, she was beginning to cry again. He stood from the chair and leaned over her, pulling her head back towards him so he could look into her eyes.

Despite the Ebola's effect, her eyes were still the black orbs he loved at first sight. They still held life, held the goal of getting through this. But with Jay Lee doubting her efforts, she was surely going to loose. Rowen knew she would act this way. He couldn't take it.

Pulling away from her, he pulled off the rubber gloves. Jay Lee gasped as he pulled off the helmet as well, throwing it to the side.

"Rowen!"

he bent down over her again, his bare hand finally touching the paper thin skin of her cheek gently and his other going through her raven black hair.

"You're gonna get through this," he said. "Stop doubting it. If I loose ya, I'd ratha be the one on the bed. Push through this Jay Lee, or I'll die just as harshly."

He covered her lips with his own. It was gentle, but full of love and compassion. She melted in the kiss, completely forgetting about everything. It felt good and she wanted more, like the taste of candy after a year without it. She felt warm inside, like he was actually breathing fire into her, taking the deepening chill away.

When Rowen lifted the kiss, she looked up into his dark eyes. Like a new strength, she lifted her hand and caressed her love's cheek with more affection she had ever shown.

"You baka," she whispered. "Why did you do that? Now you have it. You're condemning yourself to this very bed."

Rowen smiled and rolled his eyes. He got close to her again, whispering so only she would hear.

"Ya read too much Shakespeare," he said. "Don't worry bout me. I'll be fine. Ya jest concentrate on getting outta here, okay?"

Jay Lee watched her love for a few seconds before nodding her head. Rowen placed another kiss on her lips before standing.

"I'm gonna leave ya for a bit," he said. "I promise I'll return in a little while. Ya get better. I love you."

Before he left, he placed the helmet back on his head and the glove on his hand. He pushed the yellow button on the door and a nurse came to sterilize him. He found a pay phone, called the manor and Ryo was there in minutes to pick him up.

When he walked into the living room, he went right up the stairs to Sage's room. He knocked on the door and the blond sleepily opened it and glared at him with his one eye. Sage wasn't happy that he was awoken from his beauty sleep.

"I need ya ta check for a virus," Rowen said simply. "Please?"

"If it'll let me go back to sleep."

Sage placed his hand on Rowen's forehead and closed his eyes as he concentrated his powers into Rowen's body. Sage's body trembled a little when he located the foreign cell.

"Want me to kill it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, done. Goodnight." Sage slammed the door in Rowen's face and Rowen was grateful for his friend. Now he had to do everything in his power to help Jay Lee.

Days passed by in a blur. Rowen spent five hours every day with Jay Lee. The doctors and nurses all knew him like an old friend. He would go to school, then come straight to the hospital to be with her. He would do his homework there in the room and then read poetry to Jay Lee.

The doctors were stunned and amazed. She was getting stronger every day, and the doctors don't know what was happening. She crashed less and less and it seemed that Rowen being there was having a positive effect on her recuperation. After a while, she was able to get out of the bed and walk around the room.

Rowen was regaining confidence that he was actually doing something that made a difference. He noticed a great change in her. If she continued to get better, all traces of the virus should be gone within weeks. Everyone was happy.

But happiness can be taken away without even knowing it.

Rowen sat bolt upright in bed. He was sweating, but he was chilled to the bone. Something was wrong, he knew it. Looking at his clock, he saw it was two in the morning. He felt like he was going to vomit. He got up from the bed and made his way clumsily to the bathroom, knocking into a few things on the way.

The racket woke up his blond roommate. Sage rubbed his tired eyes and looked at his own clock. Rowen made it to the bathroom that they share and turned on the light. Sage growled and turned around to block the light. It didn't work.

"Dammit Rowen," he said getting up. "It's two o'clock in the fucking morning. Is it your soul purpose to wake everyone up?"

Rowen groaned in pain and fell to his knees. Sage took that as a wake up call and raced into the bathroom where Rowen was. He pushed the taller boy upright against the bath tub and patted his face with the back of his hand.

"Wake up Rowen," he said. He forgot about his anger. "C'mon man, wake up. I didn't mean it." He stopped. "Jeez, I sound like Kento. Wake up Ro!"

Ryo, Kento and Cye made their way sleepily into their room, wondering what all the yelling was about. When they saw Rowen passed out and Sage trying to revive him, they woke up instantly.

"Kento, call an ambulance." Nodding at his leader, the bearer of Hardrock hastily made his way to a phone.

While Sage and Kento rode in the ambulance with Rowen, Ryo followed in his Jeep with Cye. They got him to Toyama General and rushed him to the ER.

The four waited in the waiting room for news on their friend. Sage, getting tired of Kento's whining for food, went for a walk around the hospital. He turned down a hallway when he heard a desperate prayer being cried out.

"NO! WHY? NOT MY BABY!" Sage frowned slightly. He knew that voice somehow. Seems like he should know who that was. He then heard a familiar squeak of sobs he knew to be Dong, Jay Lee's little brother.

He followed the screaming woman and soon came across the area where Jay Lee had to be held in quarentine. Sure enough, there was Dong, huddled in one of the corners of the end of the hallway. Mrs. Yun was collapsed on the ground in front of the window to a large room, Mr. Yun kneeling and clutching his wife.

_Oh no._

DREAM 

Rowen was floating in the sky. He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. There was a faint purple bubble around him, stars and other planets following their orbits on the outside. This was strangely familiar to another situation long ago. He looked down on himself, expecting to see his Strata armor, but he was still in his light blue cotton pajamas.

He watched as the bubble floated away from the earth and land him somewhere on the moon in the center of a large crater. The bubble disappeared and he stood. There was full gravity like on earth, so he knew this couldn't be real.

_Gods, _he thought. _Please don't let this be like the other dream I had. _

He looked up when he noticed a blinding light from the corner of his eye. A large pack of shooting stars flew overhead. He watched them for a moment, basking in the beauty of it all. He felt something on the back of his neck and he turned.

He couldn't believe his eyes for a moment. He blinked several times to make sure it had to be real. Jay Lee stood there, only a breath away in a form fitting white silk gown. Her hair fell over her shoulders and her eyes sparkled like he remembered before Ebola. She looked at him with that simple loving smile she always reserved for him. Before Rowen could stop himself, he grasped her and pulled her to him, hugging her and never wanting to let go.

"Thank the stars ya alright," he said. He heard her stifle a cry and felt her body tense. He pulled away and held her arms. He looked at her quzically, worried at the way her eyes gazed into his.

"What is it, Jay?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said with a half-hearted smile. "Just that I'm going to miss you."

"What do you mean? I'm not goin anywhere."

"I know. But I am." Rowen stared at her with half horror in his heart at what she had to be saying.

"You're scarrin' me Jay. What are ya sayin'?" Jay Lee turned her head to look at the streak of shooting stars. The light they gave caught in her fresh tears. She turned back to Rowen and placed her hand on his cheek.

"You know what I mean," she whispered. "The stars are calling for me to follow them to a place where I could wait. They granted me this wish, to bring you here so I could bid you a farewell."

Rowen felt his own tears build behind his eyes. His body began to shake and his legs gave way beneath him again. Jay Lee knelt in front of him, never letting go of his arms. Rowen weeped now, steady streams of salty tears traced his cheeks. Jay Lee pulled him into her arms as she let her own tears fall. She rocked him back and forth like a little child, running her hand through his azure locks soothingly.

"It doesn't make sense," he said through his tears. "You were getting betta. What happened? How could this happen?"

"It was my time," she whispered.

"You're only seventeen. Ya had ya whole life ahead. It's not fair."

"Life is never fair, Rowen," she said. "Your virtue is Life, you should know that it can be unfair." She cupped his face and forced him to look at her. "I love you, Rowen Hashiba. This is not a goodbye. The stars look after me because they owe you. They promised to take me to a place where I can wait for you. When your time comes, they'll bring you to me and we can go on together."

She placed her lips on his. Rowen held her tightly and deepened the kiss as a promise to come for her. Breaking away, they both stood and embraced each other once more before Jay Lee walked away. Rowen stood where he was and stretched his and to stay connected with her as long as he could. aS soon as they broke the touch, a similar purple bubble surrounded Jay Lee and floated after the stream of stars. Rowen closed his eyes and noticed a pain in his chest…

END DREAM 


	3. Chapter 3

THE ILLNESS III 

Rowen opened his eyes to the four pairs of onlookers who were his friends. He blinked his eyes a few times to rid himself of the fogginess before reality hit him square in the ass. He bolted upright in the hospital bed, making three of the four boys jump (A/N: Guess who didn't).

"Where's Jay Lee?" he asked grabbing the closest boy by the collar, who happened to be Ryo.

"Take it easy, Ro," Ryo said. "She's two hallways down still under quarantine."

"No she's not."

They all turned to look at Sage who was leaning against the wall. Rowen's eyes began to tear again. Sage looked at the three puzzled boys as Ryo tried to pry Rowen's hands off of his shirt. Sage looked at each of them square in the eyes, as if telling them mentally what he meant.

"When we rushed you here, she was ten minutes away from crashing. When she did, you were unconscious in the ER and mumbling things like 'Ya scarrin' me Jay,' and 'Ya had ya whole ahead of ya.' The doctors worked for half an hour to stabilize her.

"Rowen, Jay wascalled five minutes ago. She was moved from quarantine and placed in the morgue. She's gone, Ro."

Rowen had trouble coping with the fact that she was actually gone from this world. He trusted what she said; that the stars would watch over her until the time came that they would be reunited.

* * *

They all went to the funeral. At least fifty other people where there, friends, loved ones, family that flew in from Korea. They were all here to see her off safely. Mr. and Mrs. Yun asked if Rowen could say something, seeing as he was closest to her than anyone. He was last to speak, but he didn't know what to say.

He was up until three in the morning, writing things down from his mind that he wanted to say. It was close to four when he finally settled on something. Deprived of sleep, and the speeches made by the other family members bringing more tears, he approached the podium that stood in front of the cherry wood coffin.

He stared at the coffin, it being closed for understandable purposes. There were pictures all around on tables placed near lit candles of various colors and sizes. The sky was clear and birds did sing on a lovely day, but that wasn't really the case.

He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, unfolded it and placed it on the podium. He took a few deep breaths before he began.

"I was asked to say something in remembrance of Jay Lee Yun," he said. "Though no amount of words can say how I really feel right now, or how I've felt before this tragedy. I spent most of the night thinking about what to say, and how I would say it and this is what came up.

"Death becks and whispers slyly, in our ears. 'Come. Lie down. And softly sleep.' So easy now this slumber, deep; so quite now the pleasures of a life… of a love I have for you.

"'Come. Sleep,' says Death, 'And give up strife and striving and lie down to rest. Then nevermore the tiredness to weep not once again.'

"Death. What treachery thou hast to lie so softly to our weariness. For Hell itself is gained by giving up. Each backward step but takes us nearer to a brink of Fierce Endure and each back pace we make is but a stride we'll have to take 'gainst the tide again.

"How glib, how easy now to purr 'Death is but sleep. Lie down and rise no more.' For death and sleep alike but slide us down a grade that we must climb if we would then be free.

"What humor it must be to Death; when we find out we have but lost another mile. We must make back and find from off the bier the weariness of a life, of a love, unrecompensed with friends, family or what we learned the last.

"'Give up!' thus speak the traitors of our lives. 'Grow tired, old and Die! And be no menace to us now whose life you threaten with your breath.'

"A placid far and unreached day 'twould be when I laid back and let the song of death bequeath me tortured; miles I must face up again."

Rowen paused to wipe stray tears from his face. He closed his eyes to build up his composure before he continued. The words he speaks having more of an effect on him than the rest. Keeping his eyes closed, he continued.

"Then let us be happy you are gone from this place. Let us all hope and pray that you found a place worthy of your footsteps somewhere you could actually be happy. Know you will never be forgotten from our lives, our hearts. Know you will one day come back to us, or someday, our own time will come to be with you."

He opened his eyes and looked out upon the group. There was applause and smiles of happiness and sadness on everyone's faces. The parents of the deceased nodded their appreciation towards the boy they knew well like another son. Rowen joined in the applause, all turned toward the most recent picture of Jay Lee. She wore the white gown Rowen saw in his dream. A bouquet of white lilies in her hand as she posed in a picture from a wedding that had recently passed.

The one thing Rowen noticed about the picture was what she wore around her neck. The silver twelve pointed star with a diamond in the center on a silver chain he gave her for her birthday. He placed his hand over his heart, feeling the bulge of the very pendant through his clothes.

_I'll keep my promise, _he prayed, knowing she could hear him. _I'll come for ya when my time comes._

THE END

* * *

**_A/N: _**Well? What do you all think? This part was going to be a song fic, but it would get too long with the song I choose for it. The other two parts are long enough as it is. Review please and tell me what you think. 


End file.
